Sometimes it is for a journalist a struggle to get hold of the information. This is changing with Twitter and more broadly, social media. I would not know what to do without the existence of LinkedIn as well to find people or information. These two networks offer me contacts and information at a fingertip and more importantly: they are easily available. It is possible to find out more references, check out who will be the right person to approach for a blog, a contribution in a magazine, a presentation for a professional organisation or just to answer a question. And I keep the options open: if anybody likes to get to me for more information, I’m available. Of course without opening the books for confi stuff, that is obvious. And it is an opening to learn more, also discovering fascinating professionals in the same discipline, for example in the community managers group (in the Netherlands). It opens up to more ideas, and gives the opportunity to share experiences as well. Or through a contact, you discover a local group of social media enthusiasts with various backgrounds. Broadening up, finding more resources, opening up your mind. That is another effect that social media have to me.

If you are in the UK, I like to point out a special social network: the Netlinked groups. They have an original base in LinkedIn and they actually gather regularly in real life according to an agenda that ressembles a LinkedIn group: news, profile, an LinkedIn eye-opener, announcements and referrals. During the meeting which takes an afternoon, you are encouraged to speak about who you are looking for and often, from the group there already are suggestions made. This is extremely powerful. Our first meeting was a couple of months ago in the Institute of Directors at the Pall Mall, London. We were surprised and decided to go more often, and joined. Once joined, you have access to more advanced LinkedIn tuition and to all NetLinked groups. Something worth thinking of if you want to work online and in the real world. Because in the end, it’s the people that count.